1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to network AV (Audio/Video) systems reproducing audio sounds and/or video images, and more particularly, to a network AV system including a plurality of servers and clients.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a number of network AV systems using a client-server system have been provided. International Publication No. WO 03/102919 discloses a network AV system including a server storing a plurality of contents and an audio client connected through a LAN (Local Area Network). The audio client requests the server to provide a desired content and the server distributes the requested content to the audio client in response. The audio client reproduces the content distributed from the server.
The network AV system can increase the number of contents when the number of servers is increased. When however the stored contents are different among the servers, the audio client must find which server stores a desired content. It should be cumbersome to search through every server until the audio client finds the desired content.
When a server stops operating while it distributes a content to an audio client, the audio client cannot help but stops reproducing.
When an audio client tries to reproduce a content after reproducing another content distributed from a server, the audio client must re-connect with another server that stores the content desired to be reproduced.